Monnit Wireless Sensors - Newsletter August 2013

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Newly Enhanced Wireless
Range Extenders

The Monnit development team has made some recent enhancements to the wireless range extender, improving the RF communication and performance of networks using the device.

Monnit wireless range extenders allow you to extend the coverage area of your wireless sensor network by relaying the signals between your wireless sensors, other range extenders and the wireless gateway.

Features of the Newly Enhanced Wireless Range Extender:
• New range extenders can be chained
together to offer even further range for sensor networks.
• Automatic network management.
• Built in memory can queue up to 30,000 data readings
in case of backlog or network congestion.
• Supports up to 6 messages / minute.
• Status / Activity LED.
• AC powered, so no batteries needed.

Learn More About The Monnit Wireless Range Extender »

In this issue

Latest Sensor Firmware Enhancements

The Monnit engineering and development team has been working on enhancements to the latest sensors available from Monnit. Some of the recent enhancements available on all new Monnit Wireless Sensors are:

• Smarter sensors will look for the best links and create relationships.
• Frequency locking for improved range.
• Clear Channel Assessment (CCA) boosts performance in
congested networks.
• Higher tolerances for power source provides for more battery
and powering options.
• Improved sync operations using Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).
• General optimizations for various sensor types.
• Full support for Monnit's new repeater / range extender.

Let's take a look in our crystal ball to see what the future holds at Monnit?

Monnit's development team is always hard at work developing new wireless sensors and enhancing sensors based on customer feedback. One of our current projects is to incorporate an LCD display onto some of our most popular interval sensors, such as the wireless temperature sensor. The LCD would provide a digital display of the last sensor reading and what time the reading was taken. This new addition to the Monnit product lineup should be available in the near future. If you would like to learn more about this product or be notified when it becomes available, please email us at sales@monnit.com.

Using Wireless Sensors for Facility Monitoring

Monitoring a facility efficiently, yet cost effectively is challenging. In large and small commercial operations there's plenty to worry about without having to spend time and money to manually monitor areas of a building that could be monitored by sensors. Monnit has developed a wireless sensor solution for commercial property management.

Monnit wireless sensor systems can help you detect and track access to buildings, temperatures in rooms and data closets, water leaks in bathrooms and much more. Sensor alerts can be set to alert by email and/or text message so you can know immediately if anything needs attention. We recommend using Monnit's affordable wireless open/closed sensors to track and monitor the doors and windows to any area you want to remotely monitor for access. We also recommend using Monnit's wireless infrared motions sensors, temperature sensors and water sensors to monitor areas for access, temperatures and water leaks.

Know immediately of any issues with your monitored buildings, rooms, or areas.

Learn More About Solutions for Facility Monitoring »

by The WiSe Guys

Using Wireless Sensors with a Monnit
Wireless Range Extender.

Monnit's new wireless range extenders and latest wireless sensors (featured in this newsletter), allow for enhanced network communication. The new wireless range extenders can also be chained together to allow for even further range of your wireless sensor network. The following steps will demonstrate how to add wireless range extenders to your sensor network, and how that sensor network will function using the range extender(s).

Add a wireless range extender to your sensor network.
• Click "Manage" from the main navigation.
• Find the bottom section that deals with adding sensors.
• Enter the ID and security code on the back of the range extender.
• Press the "Assign Sensor" button.
• Repeat this process to add more range extenders to the network.

Once the range extender has been added to your network, you will need to update and push the sensor device list to your range extender so it knows what sensors to allow communication with. For a USB gateway, go to the Monnit gateway application/service and click "Download Sensor Updates". For an Ethernet gateway, power cycle the device by unplugging it, waiting 10 seconds then plugging it back in. For a Cellular gateway, use the power button to turn it off, wait 10 seconds then turn it back on.

After resetting the gateway, plug the range extender into an AC wall outlet. The range extender will have a green light when it has found the network. If the light is steady red, check the network, unplug it and try again.

Communication path for sensors on a network with a range extender.
When using sensors with a wireless range extender, the sensors will automatically connect to the device with the strongest signal. The range extender should be placed between the sensor and the gateway.

Direct Signal Path

If the sensor detects a stronger signal from the range extender, it will automatically connect to the range extender.

Sensor connects to repeater

If the sensor detects a stronger signal from the gateway, it will automatically connect to the gateway and ignore the range extender.

Sensor connects to gateway and ignores repeater

If the sensor network has multiple range extenders, the same principle applies. If the sensor detects the signal from one range extender is stronger than another range extender or gateway, it will automatically connect to that range extender. The range extender on the network will function the same way, looking for the strongest signal of another range extender or gateway to communicate with.

Multiple repeaters can chain together

For more information on using Monnit wireless sensors, visit the support section of our website.